Workplace Sexual Harassment Awareness Programmes

Did you know that:

• 72% of the UK population has experienced sexual harassment in their lifetimes?

• 75% of women who experience workplace sexual harassment do not report it?

• ACAS saw a 40% increase in the number of reports of sexual harassment in the first 6 months of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year? 

It’s obvious that sexual harassment continues to plague the lives of employees, often driven by a culture which allows sexual harassment to go unchallenged.

Many organisations have policies and processes which are designed to deal with sexual harassment at work, but we know that this is no longer enough.

Have you done enough?

Why you need to prioritise sexual harassment awareness

In October 2024, changes were made to the Equality Act 2010 to strengthen legal protections against sexual harassment for employees. These changes also increased the responsibility and imposed a legal duty on employers to anticipate and take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment.

This anticipatory duty (also called the preventative duty) was introduced by the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 and came into force 26 October 2024. It requires employers to actively anticipate where sexual harassment might occur and take steps before anything happens to prevent it. This means that:

• Employers cannot wait for an incident before acting. They must assess risks and put preventive measures in place proactively.
• The duty is intended to change workplace culture by requiring “positive and proactive steps” rather than reactive measures. 
• This duty applies specifically to sexual harassment (not all forms of harassment).
• If employers fail to meet this duty, compensation in a successful tribunal claim may be increased by up to 25%.
  
  

This is where we can help.